Quirky raises $ 16 million for the social product development platform

Leena Rao is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school of the Medill School of journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007 she helped lead efforts for advocacy and community relationships Congressman Carloyn Maloney in New York. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003 where it was ... ? Read More

Unusual social network for product development, has raised $ 16 million in series b funding led by Norwest venture partners, RRE Ventures, participated in the round. It is unusual for a total funding of up to 29 ppm (unusual quietly raised $ 5 million earlier this year).

Unusual, which is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Ben Kaufman (he is behind the mophie and kluster), is a platform for product ideas that are born on a napkin doodles and other non-standard ways. The site tries to use Crowdsourcing to develop a product, by bringing the parties to cooperate in all aspects of a product – from ideas, designs, names, production, marketing, sales. It looks similar to a social network for product development.

Here's how it works. Unusual allows users to submit their idea of a product for $ 10. Users can also vote, rate and influence other people's product ideas. Each week, users can post ideas on unusual for rated by quirky community. After seven days of evaluation period of unusual community chooses one product from a pool of ideas to move forward in the process. Unusual in the community attracts and encourages each part of product development, weighing in on everything from naming choice logo prior to packaging.

Products range from the Pivot (an alternative to the power strip) to Wrapster (organize your Headphone cords) Fender (iPad bumper). Unusual not just products online; retail is run landed bed bath and beyond and OfficeMax.

Kaufman tells us that the company an average of 60 products annually and expects the unusual community make over $ 1 million on the site of products this year only. He added that the new funding will be developed for the building of the team, especially focusing on work in the field of design and product design.

And unusual actually will star in new reality series on the Sundance Channel, set to debut in late August.

You can check out the trailer for the quirky show below:

Unusual attracts in all aspects of product creation of ideas, design, naming, production, marketing, law on the basis of sales.

Read More

View the original article here